1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a beach wagon that is manually steerable, has a convertible, open-top container for receiving goods, which container is easily converted to a beachside tabletop that is at a convenient height for the beach chair occupant. Additionally, a motorized beach wagon is described having a drivetrain that is disconnectable for a free-wheeling mode and reconnectable for the motorized condition.
2. Background of the Prior Art
After driving to the shore, beachgoers typically find parking a considerable distance from the actual location selected for the day's outing. Often, a long walk across the sand is required which may be particularly burdensome when handling a combination of children, large beach towels, beach chairs, children's toys, umbrellas, extra clothes, coolers filled with food and drink, and other paraphernalia for the beach.
Without a wagon or similar device, the beachgoer frequently makes several round trips, all the while attempting to maintain control over the operation. Once on the beach, the present device converts from a wagon to a table, isolated from the sand. This enhances the utility of the device.
Beach wagons and carts are known in the art, but many of these presently available are similar to urban shopping carts and are not motorized or suited for the task. Such beach wagons and carts are generally supported by two wheels and the load is tilted in order to pull the entire load. The tires of these two-wheeled carts have insufficient surface area to prevent sinking into soft sand, and, when loaded become difficult to manage on the soft sand terrain.
A non-motorized attempt to cart heavy goods over sandy terrain is taught in the disclosure of Kirkendall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,909, entitled Low-Bed Service Cart which describes a four wheeled, pull-type wagon. The wagon of Kirkendall '909 is specially designed to carry folding chairs, ice chests, firewood, and other small items. This device, which is manually controlled and steered, is especially difficult to reverse when heavily loaded.
In the Kirdendall '909 patent a review of the pre-1988 cart patents is provided and includes (specific for beach use) patents to Maturo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,571; Frank, U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,511; and Willette, U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,615. In a later patent to Shapiro, U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,030 an extensive list of cart patents is provided with a substantial body of patents drawn from Class 280/Subclass 651 et seq.
Traveling picnic tables such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,611 to Mihalic, et al. are known in the art. The table disclosed in the invention is collapsible and provides wheels and a handle. Thus, the device is portable, but no cargo container is provided in which to carry typical beach gear. Further, the device is not motorized, so that the user must pull the relatively heavy device by hand. The invention does not teach any mechanism to overcome difficulty in maneuvering the device over varied beach terrain.
The drivetrain of the invention has as its progenitor the child's ridable vehicle developed by Kransco in the mid-1980's and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,958 to Harrod and a subsequent reissue patent, No. RE 33,769. Later, after the Fisher-Price, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. merger, Mattel acquired Kransco and assigned the marketing and development to Fisher-Price. The intermediate entity was known as Mattel Power Wheels, Inc.
The Power Wheels devices have a mechanical platform—chassis, motors, gearing, power and control arrangement. Although the Power Wheel vehicles have the large inflatable wheels that provide a large footprint and a suitable center of gravity to function well on a variety of beach terrains, the platform required substantial modification for the within described use. While Power Wheels platform only teaches a ridable vehicle for children, there is no suggestion or teaching toward a motorized, manually steerable beach wagon.
Beyond the above novel features, the present invention is designed to allow the beach wagon to be easily converted from battery to manual power and then back again from manual to battery power. The specialized wheel assembly includes removable cotter pins set against compressed springs. When the cotter pins are removed from the axle, the compressed spring decompresses and pushes the wheel hub outward to disengage the drive mechanism. Once the drive mechanism is disengaged, the gearing of the motor is overcome and the beach wagon may be operated in a manual, free-wheeling condition. To return to the motorized condition, the springs are compressed, returning the wheel hub to the original position, and the cotter pins reinserted to maintain the compressed state.
In the present invention, the compartment is fully collapsible, adds little weight to the device, is sturdy, but provides a large volume with which to carry items. This is achieved, in part, by utilizing retractable, rollable covers. The prior art background for such covers are cargo space and luggage compartment covers as disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,961,172 and 5,676,415 to Ament, et al. There is no teaching known in the art towards combining such covers with table leaves to form side walls of a cargo container. Where rough terrain is not an issue such as in a park with well-worn or paved pathways, the motor may be unnecessary for proper navigation. Accordingly, a more lightweight version without the drivetrain and motorized components is also presented.
In the course of preparing this disclosure several patents became known to the inventor hereof. The following patents are believed to be relevant and are each briefly discussed:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,453 to Theus et al. discloses a rolling cart suitable for receiving and transporting items over loose ground such as sand. The cart is a two-wheeled vehicle with a large footprint for easy movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,925 to Weldon relates to a cart intended to provide easy means to transport items held on the cart platform to a sandy beach location. A foldable seat is provided so that the invention can serve as a beach chair and the carrying platform is supported at both ends by straps. A pressurized sprayer, holding fresh water, is provided for the purpose of cleaning off sand and salt water from people and accessories.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,075 to Romer is a beach caddy with runners for pulling the invention across a sandy surface and retractable wheels for rolling over paved surfaces. A refillable water tank is provided for washing, drinking, or any other use. Detachable tables are mounted on the sides of the caddy and can be set up to support items transported by the caddy.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,751 to Giordano discloses a collapsible shopping device consisting of a pair of folding side frames, each frame consisting of side bars pivotably connected to each other midway of their ends, one side bar of each frame having a ground wheel and the other side bar bearing engagement with the ground and provided with a handle on its upper end folding and a shopping receptacle supported on and between the two side frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,898 to Chu also discloses a collapsible shopping cart type device similar to the Giordano patent, but adapted for carrying articles to the beach. The compartment contains a vertical rear wall and horizontal bottom shelf. A flexible fabric bag is fastened and forms an open topped container for receiving items.
This wagon improves upon the prior art wagons and solves a long felt need to provide a device which is easy to manually control and maneuver in soft and hard sand. The beach wagon has a large cargo container that, once at the destination, readily converts to a beach-chair-high table. The drivetrain is capable of moving the beach wagon at a speed comparable to the normal walking speed of the operator and is easily disengaged for manual operation.
Thus, the present invention fulfills a long felt and unsolved need by provide a beach wagon and table in one device. The invention solves this need by being maneuverable, through either manual or batter power, both in forward and in reverse, is adjustable to various beach terrains, and provides both a large compartment for beach paraphernalia and a table for beach use.